Ventilated fruit and refrigerator car



(No Model.) l 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

H. A. SMITH. VENTILATED FRUIT AND REPRIGBRATOR CAR.

No. 498,449. Patented May 30, 1893.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

H. A. SMITH'.

4 VENTILATBD FRUIT AND REFRIGBBATOR CAR. No. 498,449. Patented May 30, 1893.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

H. A. SMITH. VBNTILATED FRUIT AND RBFRIGERATOR GAR.

No. 498,449. Patented 'May 30, 1893.

Tn: Norms Pzrzns eo.. PHmLITHaA. wAsMlNaToN D c V(No Model.) Y 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

H. A. SMITH.

VENTILATED FRUIT -AND -REFRIGERATOR GAR. v No. 498,449. Patented May 30, 1893.

UNITED STATES PATENT VOEEICE.

HENRY AUGUSTUS SMITH, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

VENTILATED FRUIT AND REFRIGERATOR CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 498,449, dated May 30, 1893. Application led September 6. 1892. Serial No. 445,182. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern: y

Beit known that I, HENRY A UGUsTUs SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Ventilated Fruit and Refrigerator Oar, of which the following is a specification.

One object of my invention is to provide superior means for transportation of fruit which will economize ice where refrigeration is required and which will more eectually ventilate the fruit than is possible in railway cars of the present construction.

My improved car is adapted for the ventilation of the sides, ends and the bottom and top of the car, while the body of the car is closed and I provide a cowl extension at each end of the car so as to force a draft of air between the ceiling and roof and also through the body of the car while in motion, when desired; the car being provided with means for opening and closing the Ventilating appliances from the outside of the car, and for changing it from a ventilated car into a closed car for handling fruit in a cold climate.

My improved car is provided with removable ice boxes so that the car can be adapted for use as a common box car, a ventilated fruit car or a refrigerator car as occasion may require.

l A further object of my invention is to apply the principle of dry air refrigeration to cars.

A further object is to provide a refrigerator oar of less weight than those now in vogue.

A further object is to provide a ventilated car with means which will retain within the car when standing, the cold air which has been produced within the car while the car was in motion.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention.

Figure1isaverticallongitudinalmid-section of a car embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a view of the carwith theoutside portion or member of its side wall removed. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail of one end of Fig. l and a fragment of the middle of the car. Fig. 4 is an end View of the car with the main ventilator open into the body of the car. Fig. 5 is a cross-section online asfof Fig. l looking toward the body of the car. Fig. 6 is a cross- Ventilating chamber B which is arranged between the roof and the ceiling of the car and is arranged to comm unicate with the top ventilators D D arranged above the level of the ceiling at the ends of the car, so that when the ventilators D, D are open and the car isin motion a draft ofrair will be produced through the chamber B between the roof b and ceiling b to prevent the stagnation and accumulation of heated air in the chamber B' and also to allow a circulation of air in the several chambers 'a a within the walls. By this construction the air within the walls will have sufficient circulation to prevent stagnation and objectionable heating of the air in the walls, as the air will slowly descend within the vertical chambers on the side next the cold main or body chamber of the car and will slowly ascend next the outside wall and this action will be increased by the draft caused through the chamber B, when the car moves. This arrangement is designed to protect the interior of the car from the objectionable effects of the hot sun without serving to conduct heat into the main body of the car.

'lhe ends of the car are provided with double end walls E e and E e' which are provided respectively with the elevated outer ventilators F, F and the lower inner ventilators f and f These ventilators are provided respectively with suitable shutters G G and g g. Thechambers H H within the hollow end walls of the car are arranged to communicate with the chamber B at the top of the car. A floor chamber J is provided beneath the floor K of the car and extends from end to end of the car and is closed throughout, except that it communicates with the end Wall chambers H and H respectively so that when the shutters Gr G and g g are closed and the ventilator D is open, the draft of air through IOO side of the car to admit air into the lbody of the car when desired.

The ventilator shutters G g (G g) are connected by suitable means with raising and lowering mechanism M (M) arranged to raise one of the shutters and lower the other shutter at the same time. i

The ventilator opening F (F) in the upper half of the outer member of the end Wall extends down to a'point four or five feet above vthe iioor of the car and the ventilator openingf (f) in the lower half of the inner end wall-extends up nearly to the same level and the shutters G` g (G g) are respectively arranged,4 the one toclose. the outside opening from bottom to top and the other to close the insidevopening from top to bottom so that when `the shutters are adjusted to fully open. the ventilators Fftlie shutter G will `be fully lowered and the shutter g will be fully raised.

The mechanism for raisin gand lowering the shutters consists in the drum m m mounted upon a shaft N,` which shaft is jou-rnaled in.v

the Wall of the car and extends upon one side to the outside thereof Where a pawl and ratchet Pi() anda crank stem Q are provided for the .rotation of the shaft and for securing the saine in desired position. A crank R is provided forthefoperation of the shaft.

16 'and 17 indicate cords or chains secured to the shutters and wound upon the drums to3 sustain and raise and lower the' shutter.

The outer openings of the ventilatorl are providedwith wire screens-r to exclude cinders.' In the chambers H H a-guard h is provided -to prevent the dirt from falling into the floor chamber J.

S S indicate guides to guide the shutters G and g (G g) respectively tohold themr to tightly close the ventilator F and'f (Ff). The guidesslope toward that. end of-the ventilator opening into which the shutter ad- Vances .to close the o pening, and-the rear end ofthe shutter (i. e., the end which last enters the'ventilator-opening in the act of closing the same) is provided with beveled shoulders T arranged to engage a shoulder stop or cross barU (U) at=the latter part of the movement of the shutter in closing the ventilator so that the rear end 'ofthe shutter will be forcedIinto the vopening at the` latter part of the-movement'of closing the ventilator.

The memberEof the Wall at the lower edgef of the-ventilator opening Fis beveled so that when` the raising appliances M are manipulated to allow the shutter to lower the shut-l terfwill slide down out of the opening by its ownweight; andthe wall e is beveled at the top of the openingf so that when the shutter is raised it will be easily forced out ofsuch opening to be carried on upthe guide groove S.

each end of. the. cari portedin position byA removable cross-beams `Y which rest upon side cleats Z.

of the walls.

V indicates paper lining or other non-heatconducting substances with which the car is insulated.

All the openings of the ventilators and doors are provided with rubber or other insulating material V to exclude air and heat.

W indicates independent removable ceiling ice boxes which are arranged longitudinal of the car and are hermetically sealed by rubber packing X or other suitable material for insulating such boxes and for preventing the passage of air between the box and the top of the main chamber of the car. These boxes are provided with sheet metal walls of zinc,

galvanized iron or other suitable material and .havey their floors sloping from oneend to the. other.

In the drawings these floorsare shown sloping froml the middle ofthe car toward These boxesare supw, w are cleats on the ceiling toy hold the ice boxes in .proper position.

Each ofmy newly invented removable ceil- Ting ice-boxes for refrigerator cars comprises `the sheet metal walls w,' and [ioor wf', the externally arranged drip tray base/L' arrangedy beneath the oor'and walls and secu red thereto by intermediate means, such =as the cleats 50, with a space betweenv the ioorV and the drip-tray base, and the packing X atfthe-top The vdrip-tray base i' is arranged beneath the floor of the ice box to catch thedrip-of the condensewhichgwill form upon-:the metal walls of the'ice boxes when such boxes are provided with ice and the car has within it'fruitor other substances from `which there is evaporation.l

j is the 4waste pipe through ywhich thewcondense finds discharge, passing thereintof :through the opening la. u

The ice box is provided with the internalice rack 5l of common construction and the waste pipej leads from the inside of the box,` -below the top of the rack to drain off the Wa'- ter. from the melted ice. Byl means of mypeculiarly constructed ice box I am enabledto provide the car with effective ceiling-ice-boxes which 4can be removed and replaced at pleasure. lf4 it is desired to usemy improved car for bulky freight which does not require refrigeration, the. ice-boxes can `be removed and stored and afterward replaced wh en required.

Each box is complete within itself and to con-.-

vert the fruit car into a refrigerator-car, the boxes are placed in position within the car with the packing X against the ceiling; and.

is then secured by suitable means such as the beams Y.

2, 2 indicate the ice boxchutes closed with suitable .plugs and covers, 4. A-cowl'-is provided at each end ofi the car to catch the air and to force. it into the ventilators when the same are `opened and the car inlmotion.'r

Av suitable lock is provided for the pawl P- IOC so that the same canbe locked in position to prevent accidental displacement. This lock consists of a rear hinge-extension 7 hinged to the pawl and arranged to slip overa staple 8 (secured to the car) when the pawl is resting in the notch of the ratchet as shown in Fig. 8. If desired a padlock or seal or other suitable means can be used to prevent tampering with the ventilators, the same being insertedthrough the staple.

In practice when the car is to be usedasa ventilator fruit car the fruit is loaded into it inthe ordinary manner and the shutters G, g, GQg of the end ventilators are adjusted to give such opening therethrough as is considered necessary to produce the draft through the car which may be desirable while the car is in motion. The ventilators D D are also opened to allowa draft of air through thechambei` B in the top of the car. When the car is moving the air passesthrough and prevents stagnation of air within the wall and floor chambers and the air passing through the body of the car carries off the exhalations fromthe cargo and preserves the fruit. The ventilators L L are opened to draw off the air from the top of the main chamber of the car. When the car is to pass through a cold climate the several ventilators are closed, thus vtransforming the car into an insulated car which will prevent the escape of heat, and consequent freezing of the cargo.

W'hen it is desired to use the car as a refrigerator car, the ice boxes being placed in position, the same are lled through the chutes 2 and the body ventilators Rf, Ff, f are closed and the top ventilators D D are also closed but such ventilators D, D may be advantageously opened at night or when the atmosphere is cool to allow circulation of air in the surrounding chambers B, H, a', a andV J. The ventilators LLare designed for use only when ice is not used. Any condense Awhich may form from the atmosphere within the car which comes into contact with the cold sheet metal walls of the ice box, will be collected by the tray t' and thence flow into the -drip pipe J through the opening k and the water from the melting ice within the box will be conducted out of the car through such pipejl which is trapped at its lower end to prevent ingress of air.

The braces 9, 10 in the hollow side walls of the car are each equal in thickness to half the chamber @,thus leaving space for free circulation of air between kthe outside and inside members (11 and 12) of the wall. The floor is laid upon the joists 13, and braces 14 are arranged between such joists; but such braces do not extend up high enough to shut off communication between the different parts,

of the floor chamber J.

By making the side walls hollow and closed throughout except at the top, the movement of air therein is slight, being only sufficient to prevent stagnation, While if the side cham-v ber communicates with the exterior air or with the air in the body of the car, the draft of air through the side chambers is more ice box, whichcondenses upon the outside of the metallic walls of the ice box, the same being taken from the air within the car andf not from the air which comes in contact with the ice.

Y Now, having describedmyinvention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The improved car having the top ventilators at the ends ofthe car and a ventilating chamber between the roof and the ceiling of the car communicating with the top ventilators and having the hollow side walls provided with chambers closed throughout, except that they are arranged to communicate at their tops with such Ventilating chamber.

2. The improved car set forth having hollow end walls and having hollow side' walls the chambers in which are closed throughout except at the top and provided with thetop Ventilating chamber arranged between the roof and ceiling of the car and'communicating with the tops of the chambers in the sidewalls and with the tops of the chambers 'in` the endwalls'and with the ventilators in the ends of the car, and having the floor chamber beneath the tioor of the car closed throughout except that it is arranged to communicate with the chambers in the end walls of the car.

3. The improved car set forth having the hollow end walls provided respectively with IOO IIO

the elevated outer .ventilators F F and the lower inner ventilators f f provided `with suitable shutters, and having the chambers HH within'the hollow end walls of the car Varranged to communicate with a Ventilating chamber arranged-in the top of the car'be-7 tween the roof of the ceiling and communi-f arranged in the ends eating with ventilators of .the car. Y

4. A car comprising the combination of the hollow end wall provided with the'outer member having a ventilator in its upper half and with an inner member having a ventilator inlv its lower half; a shutter arranged-'to close the outer ventilator from the bottom upward;'

a shutter arranged to close the inner ventilator from the top downward and means for f operating such shutters to raise the outer shutter and close the outer ventilator and at. the same time to lower the inner shutter and close the inner ventilator. f

5. The combination ofthe inner wal-l member provided -in its lower half: with .the ventilater opening; the shutterguides slopingE downward toward the bottom of the ventilator opening; the shoulder` stop,` and the shutter arranged to slide in such guides andprovided with beveled shoulders arrangedvto engage the shoulder stop at the latterf. part ofthe movement of the shutter in closing the ventilator so that the rear end ot' the shutter will.` `be forced into the opening at the latter partv ot' the movement 0f closing the ventilator.

6. A car eomprisingthe eombinationwof the outer member of the hollow-endwall provided:l with a ventilator opening; thefsh'utterguides sloping lat the. top toward theventilator opening; the shoulder` stop-,y and the= ventilator shutterarrangedato slide. in the guides. ande provided with the beveled shoulder arranged i to engage the fshonlderistop at the latterportion: oiA the upward :movement-ottheshutter.A t'

7. The combination of the oar Wallprovided Witna ventilator.y opening.; shutter.: guidessloping` at onefend toward ythe ventilator open 8. In combination in a refrigerator carthe lin-dependent removable eeil-ing-iee-box com- 'gprisingthe sheet. metal` Wal-ls andvtloor, the ge'xternallyy arranged dri-p tray base .arranged beneathf the.` floor and Walls` and. secured thereto by suitable.- means, snob means,` and `ithepaekingat` the -topy otthe- Walls HENRY AUGUSTUS SMITH;

Witnesses:

JAMEsRrToW-NSEND, ALFRED AI.'.TOW-NSEND.1,1 

